Just this past week my sister-in-law sent me an article about Grandmothers. Did you know that Human females are among the only animals on the planet who live for an extended period of time after their ability to reproduce has ended? And for this, humanity has reason to be hugely grateful to them. It seems that grandmothers, and their freedom to care for their daughters when their daughters become mothers, are in many ways responsible for the higher evolution of the human species. The gift of holding one’s tiny grandchild and sharing in the love of a family in the making needs to be ...
Meat & Fish
THE PINK BRUNCH, PART 2: LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE
I’ve never been a big fan of Lobster Mac and Cheese, mostly because I would rather just eat the lobster. On the other hand, I have never understood the absolutism of the “no cheese in a seafood dish” rule. I’ve watch Padma and Tom go nuts about this on Top Chef and it always seems like they have prejudged the dish based on the cheese and seafood combination. I have had many good dishes all around the world which pair the two successfully. So, if you are going to pair seafood with cheese, lobster mac and cheese would seem like a good way to go. When Abby suggested this dish for the baby ...
THE PINK BRUNCH, PART 1: WHOLE POACHED SALMON WITH LIME CILANTRO SAUCE
Emily is having a baby. My first granddaughter! And to celebrate, her sister, Abby, and I threw her a shower. Abby did the décor and I was in charge of the food of course. Emily is not the type to go for an overly “baby girl” themed party so we played down the pink in the décor. Instead we chose a woodland theme and I am so glad we did. Abby created a lovely centerpiece with flowers, birch bark vases and little moss animals. We draped the fireplace with a camellia leaf garland and spread some more flowers around the room. I know I signed on for the food but I couldn’t do ...
CRYING CHICKEN: PERUVIAN CHICKEN WITH GREEN CILANTRO SAUCE
How do you love someone who loves someone who is hurting? Twice removed from the source of the pain, how do you help the helper? You cook for them. Over the vast history of man and the evolution of cultures, bringing food to those in need, emotional or physical, has been a source of comfort to the giver and the recipient. On a purely practical side, people need to eat. Food gives us strength. The world is a darker place when one is hungry and emotions are more difficult to negotiate. It was not just a funny joke when someone coined the term “hangry”. From a loving and loyal ...
HERB GRILLED SALMON WITH CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF
Last year around this time I was in Greenlife (Asheville’s hippie supermarket which is actually a Whole Foods Market but we all pretend it’s not) and they had some salmon fillets on wood planks all ready for the grill. I really wanted to try it but at the time I had no grill and no place to put one. This year I have a place to put one and I have a grill so I went back to Greenlife and even though they had nothing prepared I managed to score an already soaked plank and some salmon. And when I got home I went to town on it! Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting much so I didn’t take many ...
ENGLAND MEETS THE AMERICAN SOUTH: A NORTH CAROLINA STYLE JACKET POTATO
This all started because it was cold out. It was not supposed to be cold. Spring in Asheville usually comes on with a rush. You move from sweaters to sundresses in a day and never look back. But not this Spring. Oh no. It’s been nothing but going back. I bounce from Spring clothes to Winter and back again like the ping pong ball my cat plays with. Anyway, cold. Cold means comfort food. It calls for cheese and starch and carbs. It calls for potatoes. A jacket potato is what they call a baked potato in England. The classic British jacket potato is baked then topped with ...
My Birthday Dinner
Yesterday was my birthday. The first one since I changed the course of my life. I knew it would be different but I also knew that, in the same way I took control of my life, I was going to make this birthday the way I wanted it to be. Here’s how it rolled: After work I walked up to downtown Asheville and bought myself some presents: some clothes, a nice smelling soap, an inspirational mug (I am centered, I am happy, I am loved) and a couple of books. Then I stopped at Karen Donatelli Bakery and Café where I bought a lovely salted caramel tart for my birthday cake. And then I got ...